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| Hands-on demonstration of planting seedlings |
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| Audience in garden presentation session |
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| Dr. Robichaux presents to workshop participants |
Baton
Rouge, LA – An article featuring the efforts of the SU Ag Center to enhance the
quality of life for residents at the Opelousas Lighthouse Mission was published
in the April 23 issue of Daily World
Newspaper. The article entitled “Opelousas
mission staff says garden produces both vegetables and leaders,” details the success
of the on-going program at the homeless shelter. The full article is available
online at DailyWorld.com.
In continuation
of the its outreach mission, a team from Southern University Agricultural Research
and Extension Center on Wednesday, April 23, delivered a seasonal information
program and vegetable seedlings in the Mission garden. After a talk and visual
presentation, residents at the shelter helped with planting okra, corn,
tomatoes, squash, peppers, eggplant, and cucumber seedlings in the greenhouse.
The
produce planted this week will be available for sale in a few months. Most
buyers hear about it by word of mouth, the development director said, but the
mission is considering whether to place a farm stand in front of its property. Proceeds
from those sales go directly to the men who live there.
Mike
Fontenot, development director at the mission, maintains that working there
helps clients gain skills that can accompany them throughout their lives. He
added that more than half the 32 men who live at the South Street complex at
any given time go on to become self-sufficient. In addition to summer and
winter gardens, he said, “we raise leaders here.”
The Mission
is a drug- and alcohol-free shelter that operates with a $200,000 annual budget
and only two paid staff members, Fontenot said. Previous garden supervisors
from the mission have landed steady work with the Indian Hills Country Club, landscaping
companies and other employers in St. Landry Parish, he said.
The workshop assembled more than 40 participants, and the
presenters were Chris Robichaux, Stephanie Elwood, and Mila Berhane from the SU
Ag Center and Bryan Mims from LA Department of Agriculture. Mims shared information
on availability of opportunities for communities to apply for green cities
program grants.
The workshop was sponsored by SU Ag Center and
Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education.
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Contact:
Bridget Udoh
(225) 771-5714
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